Help from Vegetarians!?!

When I first became a vegetarian about 10 years ago I was lost as to what to eat. I was 15 and my parents would cook a meal around chicken or fish and I would just eat side dishes. You can ease yourself into vegetarianism but I pretty much went "cold turkey" and stopped eating all meat (I occasionally ate fish for a few years). Most importantly, evaluate your diet and make sure it's well balanced. Eat a lot of greens for iron. It is easy to eat a lot of carbs and dairy- I ate so much bread and cheese because it seemed to be an easy replacement.

Meat substitutes are a great way to get used to not eating meat, while still dealing with familiar textures. Try morningstar farms and especially QUORN brand products. Quorn is a chicken substitute made from mycoprotein- just throw it in a stir fry or bake with some bbq sauce. As you start to experiment with beans and legumes you can rely less on these products as they are processed and not as good for you. Tempeh, seitan and tofu are acquired tastes for sure but you can find some tasty recipes. I love "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" by Mark Bittman. It is an exhaustive resource. Good luck!

Vegetarian for over 10 years

many people just reduce their intake of meats. if you want to do it gradually, try making a meat-free dish one night a week, next week try two, etc. eating more vegetables and fruits is recommended by health and food experts, so just try replacing the meat in a spaghetti sauce with a grated carrot, etc.
and if you are a teen/child, most food experts/doctors (and pushy parents) will insist you have at least one sorce of meat, and many people choose fish, and simply become no-meat-except-fish-inarians.

if you're absolutely sure you don't want to eat meats ever again and you are 100% a vegetarian, eat lots of nuts, dairy products, beans, carbs and especially fruit and veg. also try experimenting with foods of different cultures, for example in India many people are vegetarian for religious reasons, one of my best friends is, and they have amazing food. tofu is also a great food to experiment with.
just remember: your vegetarian plan will fail if you make it boring. try new recipes and take the time to learn how to make mouth-watering dishes, encourage friends and family to help you, and then you will succeed.

friends and experience

dont start until you kno what youre doing. so many people f_ck it up for themselves by "going veg" unprepared. do the research. know what is good to eat, what is bad to eat, and why. how serious are you about becoming a vegetarian? decide what's right for you and hold yourself to that standard. know where your vegetarian limitations are and what foods and dishes are now no longer acceptable as food.
READ THE INGREDIENTS ON FOOD LABELS before you buy anything. TRY VEGETARIAN FOOD OPTIONS to see what you like, so that you can successfully REPLACE the foods you're giving up. SOY, TOFU, BEANS (vegetarian/nonfat beans of course) - start encorporating these veg staples into your meals.
you might feel deprived at times because of missing meat, but its mind over matter and the longer you stay true to your diet the sooner your body will get used to the cleansing change. this isnt about depriving yourself, its about helping your health.. it doesnt need to be any harder than it is. why dont you give yourself sayyy a month to gradually give up meat and get a feel of vegetarianism - no guilt, no discouragement - and at the end of the month consider it the 1st official day of vegetarianism.

most valuable things that you could look into: the book Skinny *****, morningstar farms products, Trader Joe's

raised pesco-vegetarian (means a vegetarian that also eats fish), switched to vegan a couple years ago

Browse your favorite bookstore for a vegetarian cookbook you like. Depend on a variety of foods, and avoid salads if they bore you. Eat beans, nuts, and seeds. Don't be afraid of carbs - but focus mostly on grains like brown rice, quinoa, millet, etc. I recommend "The Kind Diet", "The Happy Herbivore", and "1000 Vegan Recipes". Even if you aren't vegan, you can still thoroughly enjoy these recipes. Add or change whatever you'd like to them.

Vegan

well my ex was a vegetarian and she said that she has to get creative so she doesn't get bored, like eat salad learn to cook with tofu like a pasta tofu dish. but ya just stop eating meat

i would recommend you try a kosher diet first, its healthy and will teach you discipline

I became a vegetarian straight away, but if it makes it easier, you can become one gradually, giving up your least favourite meats first, like getting rid of one from your diet every few days :)

eat fish, is even healthier than meat and has less fat